The largest island in the river, the Île de la Cité ("Island of the City"), was the easiest place to build bridges across the Seine it became the crossing point on the important north-south trade route between Orléans and Flanders. The Seine, without its stone embankments, was about twice as wide as it is today, and a tributary, the river Bièvre, entered the Seine about where the Jardin des Plantes is today. The rivers also offered access for trading by boat with other cities in France and locations as far away as Spain and Germany. Due to its position at the confluence of the Seine and the rivers Oise, Marne and Yerres, the city was abundantly supplied with food from the surrounding region, which was rich in grain fields and vineyards. The location of Paris was an important factor in its growth and strategic importance during the Middle Ages. Geography A view of Paris from Saint-Denis as depicted about 1455 by Jean Fouquet. Despite civil wars, the plague, and foreign occupation, Paris became the most populous city in the Western world during the Middle Ages. Paris became a center for the creation of illuminated manuscripts and the birthplace of Gothic architecture. The Right Bank, where the ports, central markets, artisans and merchants were located, became the commercial center of the city, and the merchants assumed an important role in running the city. In the late 1100s, the collection of colleges on the left bank became one of the leading universities in Europe. The Left Bank was occupied by important monasteries, including the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Abbey of St Genevieve. The Île de la Cité became the site of the royal palace and the new cathedral of Notre-Dame, begun in 1163. In the 10th century Paris was a provincial cathedral city of little political or economic significance, but under the kings of the Capetian dynasty who ruled France between 9, it developed into an important commercial and religious center and the seat of the royal administration of the country.
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